Art the Wonder Bus was a hit at Burning Man 2011. He became the hub for our Wonder Camp like no rental truck ever could. As it turns out Art is a hub for several communities, not just Burning Man. Over time Art has made himself useful to local post-Burning Man events, outdoor groups and the music arts community, and the political community. Events and organizations such as Burning Man, Seacompression, Ignition Northwest, Occupy Tacoma, Titanium Sporkestra, Honk Fest West, and the Tacoma Mountaineers. When Art joined our family, we had no idea how useful and beloved he would become. His potenial contributions were unknown but clearly we have gone from the owners to the caretakers. That’s why when we learned Art the Wonder Bus had been stolen from his rural home on Key Peninsula, many people cried “Noooooo.” OK, we might have yelled some other words too.

Art apparently turned the heads of some thieves too. They did not see his magic and his gifts to the community. The tweakers just saw a hunk of metal to plunder for a few dollars at a scrap yard. So they stole Art. They jammed a screwdriver into Art’s central nervous system and twisted. Art groaned and turned over. The tweakers drove him through the unbolted gate and away in the darkness. Five days later, he was found only 3 miles from his home, as the crow flies. But he was buried so deep in dense woods that he might as well have been in India. We would have never seen him just scouting around. If the thieves had more time, they were going to flip him over and continue to butcher him as they had done to the other stolen and stripped vehicles around him.

With the help of an amazing tow truck operator we pulled Art from a potential final resting place back to our place and have begun the restoration work.

Art needs financial aid to continue his life journey serving diverse communities. What the thieves stripped will cost about $4,000 to replace. We will do all the work but need help to buy the following items that were stolen: radiator, battery and cables, windshield, electrical control panel, stereo and speakers, mirrors, sun visor, defrost fans, wiring harnesses, wheel chocks, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, gray water barrels, awning conduit, miscellaneous tools, bottle jack, tow hitch, tow chain, triangle reflectors, rebar stakes, and the rescue towing charge.

Thank you for letting us share the story of Art the Wonder Bus. If his story and his potential compels you to donate money to Art’s restoration work, we would be humbled and grateful. And many communities would benefit from your generousity. In the future, Art will be parked in a more secure location!

My condolences, the only way to remedy yourselves against these tweakers is a [redacted]. Anything short of that won't do, this scurge is everywhere and should be dealt with firmly, you're not the only ones. Best of luck to you.

I too send my condolences and sympathy empathy. Having had a few buses of my own and a similar experience this past year, as well as a current Job as a quarry watchman (because of metal thieves); I am also current on this topic.

Triage; basicly figure out what is worth saving or scraping. good chance you are better off taking it to the scrap heap. a fully striped 30foot Chevy bus weighs a bit more than 6 tons and @ $200 - $300 a ton, this isn't exactly chicken scratch.The tweekers cut the radiator out, battery compartment and leads, if not a metal scraper will pay our about $120-$150 for that stuff. your Tires and wheels (providing they are there and in good shape.) can fetch at least $120 each on CL. The Aluminum frames around your window are most likely Aluminium (and Gone) and weigh abour 4 -7 lbs. I got about $85 in aluminum out of mine. opps just read all of your post

so they made took it all.you are better off scraping the Hull and being more realistic in fund raising; looking to raise up $1,200 - $1,800. that would get you $2,400 - $3,000 total to begin your next Bus. Because $4,000 even if it doe's fix it back up will leave the Fuel cost to defer across your crew, after many (all) dug deep; is it fair to ask for more? camp dues? they have and need to meet those obligations.

another Idea on how to raise these funds is to work with your Co. Sheriff and "Wonderful" tow-truck driver and Scrap out those other vehicle carcasses. but it is just as probable those two would just cut you out of the loop. Tweekers, cops and tow-truck drivers have the same soul. don't ever confuse that. they eat Buses for a living.

annyhoo, sorry this happens to you.

As a Bus Capitan I will say to you, Sorry your Ship went down. it's rough seas out there.But as Capitan you are capable of managing a community resource. Providing you command their trust and respect; good on you.

.......................................................................................Oh yeah, this year I was totally twerping out at the fence. ~Lonesombri

[color=#0000FF][quote="knowmad"]I too send my condolences and [s]sympathy[/s] empathy. Having had a few buses of my own and a similar experience this past year, as well as a current Job as a quarry watchman (because of metal thieves); I am also current on this topic.

Triage; basicly figure out what is worth saving or scraping. good chance you are better off taking it to the scrap heap. a fully striped 30foot Chevy bus weighs a bit more than 6 tons and @ $200 - $300 a ton, this isn't exactly chicken scratch.The tweekers cut the radiator out, battery compartment and leads, if not a metal scraper will pay our about $120-$150 for that stuff. your Tires and wheels (providing they are there and in good shape.) can fetch at least $120 each on CL. The Aluminum frames around your window are most likely Aluminium (and Gone) and weigh abour 4 -7 lbs. I got about $85 in aluminum out of mine. opps just read all of your post

so they made took it all.you are better off scraping the Hull and being more realistic in fund raising; looking to raise up $1,200 - $1,800. that would get you $2,400 - $3,000 total to begin your [b]next Bus[/b]. Because $4,000 even if it doe's fix it back up will leave the Fuel cost to defer across your crew, after many (all) dug deep; is it fair to ask for more? camp dues? they have and need to meet those obligations.

another Idea on how to raise these funds is to work with your Co. Sheriff and "Wonderful" tow-truck driver and Scrap out those other vehicle carcasses. but it is just as probable those two would just cut you out of the loop. Tweekers, cops and tow-truck drivers have the same soul. don't ever confuse that. they eat Buses for a living.

annyhoo, sorry this happens to you.

As a Bus Capitan I will say to you, Sorry your Ship went down. it's rough seas out there.But as Capitan you are capable of managing a community resource. Providing you command their trust and respect; good on you.[/quote][/color]

knowmad...

thanks for your wisdom...and empathy.

unfortunately, or not, sometimes a bus becomes more than a transportation to and from burning man.

sometimes, people who buy a bus find that it can be a tool for engagement in community...joy experienced at burning man, combined with wisdom gained through burning man, has taught the wonder camp team that our true purpose is to engage and support our local community in-between regularly scheduled playa dustings.

when that happens...it becomes personal...our brother was raped and pillaged...it ain't about any old bus anymore.

Art the Wonder Bus is dedicated to community beyond the borders of black rock city...in our northwest community, we find honor and joy in serving our diverse community in any way we can...examples being organizations and events such as: Seacompression, Ignition Northwest, Occupy Tacoma, Titanium Sporkestra, Honk Fest West, and the Tacoma Mountaineers. When Art joined our family, we had no idea how useful and beloved he would become. His potenial contributions were unknown but clearly we went from owners to caretakers.

that means when Art was raped, not only was it a personal loss, but our northwest community suffered also...unfortunately, it will be costly to heal him, but our purpose is clear.

it's all about community...not about simple transportation to burning man every year...art can't be replaced by any mere bluebird.

we see that you are a northwest brother...we hope we can share some grins on the playa this year...look us up...a stagecoach driven by 12 wonder horses...you?

and, again, thanks for your wisdom.

bless all and to all a good dusting.

d.

A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"[i][color=#8000FF][/color][/i]

This isn't as bizarrely callous as the person who said (and I paraphrase) "the ticketing this year is the worst thing since the holocaust" but that degree of hyperbole makes you look like either someone completely clueless or someone with his head up his ass.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

Not that Wikipedia should be regarded as the definitive authority on any subject (nor should any Eplayans for that matter), but a quick Google search for "rape and pillage" brings us this from Wikipedia:The Explanatory Note of the Rome Statute, which binds the International Criminal Court, defines the "rape" as follows:

"The perpetrator invaded the body of a person by conduct resulting in penetration, however slight, of any part of the body of the victim or of the perpetrator with a sexual organ, or of the anal or genital opening of the victim with any object or any other part of the body."[44] and "The invasion was committed by force, or by threat of force or coercion, such as that caused by fear of violence, duress, detention, psychological oppression or abuse of power, against such person or another person, or by taking advantage of a coercive environment, or the invasion was committed against a person incapable of giving genuine consent."[44]

The concept of “invasion” is intended to be broad enough to be gender-neutral and the definition is understood to include situations where the victim may be incapable of giving genuine consent if affected by natural, induced or age-related incapacity.[45]

If we can, without the ridicule or derision of our community equate our 'ships' (buses and MVs) to people (usually a she, but as in Art's case a he), and considering that the crimes committed by the marauding meth-heads are pretty much in line with the definition above (forceful invasion, stripped, penetration with screwdrivers to start the engine as well as god knows what stuck god knows where in the pillaging). I would argue that the term 'rape' is pretty accurate in describing this situation, without sensationalizing or trivializing anything.

And as someone who owns a bus and lives in the country and often finds myself fending off hoards of tweakers, I extend my deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy for the horror of finding your precious bus stolen, stripped and left for dead buried deep in the woods. Good luck on your quest to get Art back on the road and back in the dust!